Ash Barty’s brutal Olympics beating is just plain weird

After winning Wimbledon in front of royalty and celebrities, Ash Barty’s Olympic campaign started on a very different note in Tokyo.

Ash Barty’s life looks a lot different to how it did just a couple of weeks ago.

From winning Wimbledon in front of a packed house and famous faces – including Tom Cruise – then making small talk with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the scene couldn’t have been more different in Tokyo.

Playing doubles on an outside court with the capacity to hold less than 250 spectators, a total of nine people sat in the stands for the first point of her doubles match on Saturday. Aussie tennis legend Alicia Molik watched on next to Barty’s coach Craig Tyzzer in a couple of the shaded options as they tried to dodge the 35-degree heat.

For anyone who’d seen Barty lift the trophy at the All England Club earlier this month, her Olympic experience was just plain weird.

Ash Barty is in a different world in Tokyo.

Barty teamed up with Storm Sanders against the Japanese pairing of Nao Hibino and Makoto Ninomiya, winning comfortably 6-1 6-2 in 50 minutes.

The Aussie double act made a strong start and never relented, wrapping up the opening set 6-1 in less than 25 minutes.

A few more of the Aussie contingent turned up to watch the second set where Barty and Sanders maintained the rage.

Barty is hoping to win two gold medals in Tokyo and enters the women’s singles draw as perhaps Australia’s best chance of an individual gold since tennis was readmitted as an Olympic sport in the 1980s.

Australia hasn’t had an individual medallist since Molik snared bronze in Athens 2004 and our only gold was won by the Woodies in the doubles in 1996.

Ash Barty and Storm Sanders during practice. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Barty has as good a chance as any in a strong women’s draw, where local hope Naomi Osaka has enormous pressure on her shoulders in her first tournament since stepping away from the game to deal with mental health issues.

The world No. 1 will face Spaniard Sara Sorribes Tormo first up before a possible date with Roland Garros champion Barbora Krejcikova in the quarter-finals.

If Barty makes it that far, she could play either Garbine Muguruza or world No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka in a blockbuster semi-final.

And a mouth-watering clash with Japanese star Naomi Osaka would await Barty in the final.